Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century and now number over one billion worldwide. They are the principal means of transportation in many parts of the world. Consequently, there are millions of bicycles on the road in every country on Earth. Many individuals enjoy riding bicycles for long distances, and sometimes at high speeds. Today's composite material technology has resulted in lighter and faster bicycles, which facilitates bicycling at high speeds. Because of the increased speed, bicycle riding has become increasingly more dangerous.
It is common to see bicycles and bicycle riders involved in accidents with automobiles as well as with pedestrians. This is especially true at night time or in the dark. Often, the reason for said accidents is that the bicycle is not highly visible to the automobile driver or pedestrian. In the past, many individuals have used reflectors on bicycles and on the clothing of the riders, in order to appear more visible to others. But this solution has had limited success. While this is an improvement, said reflectors do not always make the bicycle as visible as necessary. For instance, reflectors may not be seen by an automobile driver at various angles. Another improvement in bicycle visibility that has been utilized in the past is the use of lights on the front of the bicycle. If an automobile is approaching from behind, however, a person is still unable to see the bicycle. Additionally, the use of a few reflectors may make it apparent to a driver that something is there, but it may still be difficult for an observer to determine exactly the type of object being viewed.
Another improvement in bicycle visibility is the utilization of multiple lights in the front and back of the bicycle. While this is also an improvement, this requires multiple battery sources and also increases the amount of purchases that a user is required to make. Additionally, this improvement requires a user to mount lights on multiple parts on the exterior of the bicycle, which may be lost or damaged when the bicycle accidentally or intentionally falls to the ground.
As a result, there exists a need for improvements over the prior art and more particularly for a more efficient way and safer way for a user of a bicycle to become more visible during the night.